Protesters decry 'wage theft'

Nationwide rallies at McDonald's a push for pay hike

Associated Press

Published 6:23 pm, Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Photo: Steven Senne

Image 1of/5

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 5

Demonstrator Zev Nicholson, of Boston, left, holds a placard and chants during a protest outside a McDonalds fast foot restaurant, Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Boston, held to call attention to the denial of overtime pay and other violations protesters say deprive workers of the money they're owed. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) ORG XMIT: MASR101 less

Demonstrator Zev Nicholson, of Boston, left, holds a placard and chants during a protest outside a McDonalds fast foot restaurant, Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Boston, held to call attention to the denial of ... more

Photo: Steven Senne

Image 2 of 5

Demonstrators hold up signs during a protest outside a McDonald's restaurant on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Huntington Park, Calif. Protesters were set to rally outside McDonald's restaurants in cities including Boston, Chicago and Miami to call attention to the denial of overtime pay and other violations they say deprive workers of the money they're owed. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ORG XMIT: CAJH105 less

Demonstrators hold up signs during a protest outside a McDonald's restaurant on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Huntington Park, Calif. Protesters were set to rally outside McDonald's restaurants in cities ... more

Photo: Jae C. Hong

Image 3 of 5

Demonstrators gather outside a McDonald's restaurant to protest for higher wages on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Huntington Park, Calif. Protesters were set to rally outside McDonald's restaurants in cities including Boston, Chicago and Miami to call attention to the denial of overtime pay and other violations they say deprive workers of the money they're owed. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ORG XMIT: CAJH106 less

Demonstrators gather outside a McDonald's restaurant to protest for higher wages on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Huntington Park, Calif. Protesters were set to rally outside McDonald's restaurants in cities ... more

Photo: Jae C. Hong

Image 4 of 5

Demonstrators carry banners and signs as they march inside a McDonald's restaurant to protest for higher wages on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Huntington Park, Calif. Protesters were set to rally outside McDonald's restaurants in cities including Boston, Chicago and Miami to call attention to the denial of overtime pay and other violations they say deprive workers of the money they're owed. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ORG XMIT: CAJH104 less

Demonstrators carry banners and signs as they march inside a McDonald's restaurant to protest for higher wages on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Huntington Park, Calif. Protesters were set to rally outside ... more

Photo: Jae C. Hong

Image 5 of 5

Former fast food worker Angel Santos, center, holds his 1-year-old daughter, Elisa, during a protest outside a McDonald's restaurant on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Huntington Park, Calif. Protesters were set to rally outside McDonald's restaurants in cities including Boston, Chicago and Miami to call attention to the denial of overtime pay and other violations they say deprive workers of the money they're owed. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ORG XMIT: CAJH102 less

Former fast food worker Angel Santos, center, holds his 1-year-old daughter, Elisa, during a protest outside a McDonald's restaurant on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Huntington Park, Calif. Protesters were set to ... more

Photo: Jae C. Hong

Protesters decry 'wage theft'

1 / 5

Back to Gallery

New York

Organizers of the fast-food protests for higher pay on Tuesday shifted their attention to another issue: "wage theft."

Protesters planned to rally outside McDonald's restaurants in cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami to call attention to the denial of overtime pay and other violations they say deprive workers of the money they're owed.

McDonald's Corp. said in a statement that its restaurants remain open "today — and every day — thanks to the teams of dedicated employees serving our customers.""

The actions are part of an ongoing campaign by union organizers to build public support for pay of $15 an hour. The Service Employees International Union has been providing financial and organizational backing for the push, which began in late 2012. Since then, a series of protests around the country has captured national media attention and served as a backdrop for President Barack Obama's call to raise the federal minimum wage.

On Tuesday, organizers said rallies were planned for about 30 cities, but the size of the turnout wasn't clear. In New York, 50 protesters streamed into a McDonald's across the street from the Empire State Building, surprising customers. They chanted for a few minutes before being kicked out by police.

More Information

Once back outside, members of the group took turns speaking before a large gathering of TV cameras and other media. New York City public advocate Letitia James voiced her support while standing next to a protester dressed as Ronald McDonald in handcuffs.

"It's hard enough for fast-food workers to survive in this economy," James said. She is planning to introduce legislation to establish a hotline to report "wage theft."

It was a far smaller showing than other recent protests in New York City and it wasn't clear how many participants were fast-food workers, rather than campaign organizers, supporters or members of the public relations firm that has been coordinating media efforts. Still, the latest rallies reflect the push by labor groups to keep continued pressure on the issue of worker pay.